WHO MAKES ZAPOTEC TEXTILES?

Let us begin by discussing what Zapotec weavers are not.  They are not Mexicans who copy Navajo textiles!  They have their own tradition of textile manufacture that is even older than the Navajo’s (to the left, a young Zapotec man takes a break from weaving to pose for a picture).  In fact, most scholars of the pre-history of the American Southwest believe that many of the geometric design elements one finds in Navajo textile patterns have their origin in contact with the cultures of central and southern Mexico (like the Aztec and Zapotec).  That said, the Zapotec do reproduce Navajo textiles.  Mostly, it should be pointed out, at the request of gallery and gift shop owners from the Southwestern US who bring or send photos of Navajo textiles to the homes of Zapotec weavers requesting that they reproduce simplified versions that can be sold at a lower price.  Most Zapotec weavers know very little about the Navajo or their textiles, are quite poor, and, it should be pointed out, are paid very little for their textiles in comparison to the Navajo.  In short, one could argue that it would be more accurate to say gallery owners from Santa Fe, New Mexico and other places are the ones "copying" Navajo textiles… using low-paid but highly skilled Zapotec labor of course (more about Zapotec and Navajo textiles).

So who are the Zapotec?  The Zapotec are a Native American people who live in what is currently the State of Oaxaca, Mexico (see map).  Oaxaca has one of the largest indigenous populations in Mexico and the Zapotec are one of the most populous of those groups.  They are a thoroughly modern "Indian" people -- not holdovers, vestiges, or living remnants of Mexico’s "glorious pre-Hispanic past."  They are, however, the living descendants of a people that we today recognize as one of the preeminent cultural forces of pre-Hispanic Mexico along with the Olmec, the Maya, and the Aztec (the photo below shows pre-Hispanic stone work embedded in the walls of the church in Teotitlán). Today the ruins of the cities and towns inhabited by their ancestors are scattered in the fields and on the hilltops that surround many of their communities.

Anthropologists, who have been living among and studying the Zapotec since the 1920s, have traditionally recognized three distinct Zapotec groups.  Based on locale, the three groups are: the Isthmus Zapotec (who live on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec near the Chiapas border); the Valley Zapotec (who live in a large valley in the center of the State); and the Sierra Zapotec (who live in the mountains to the North of that valley).  Each group is distinct culturally and linguistically and there is a great deal of diversity within the groups as well.  The textiles marketed as "Zapotec" are made by the Valley Zapotec in the communities of Teotitlán del Valle, Santa Ana del Valle, and San Miguel del Valle (as well as Díaz Ordaz previously).  They are located about a half-hour’s drive down the Pan American Highway from the State Capital in what is known as "El Valle de Oaxaca" (The Valley of Oaxaca).  It is a "Y" shaped valley and Teotitlán, Santa Ana, and San Miguel are all located in what would be the upper right arm of the "Y" (see map).

Teotitlán del Valle, is the largest and most prosperous of these three Zapotec communities currently involved in making Zapotec textiles. In the Zapotec language it is called Xagui'a (pronounced "Zha Yeah") which means: "at the foot of the rock" and refers to the rocky crag (upper left of this photo of Teotitlán) which overlooks the village.  Teotitlán was quite literally built on top of pre-Hispanic ruins and many of the houses and public buildings include stonework scavenged from them.  All three communities are also quite near several well-known archaeological sites including: Lambityeco, Dainzu, Yagul, and Mitla.  Today Teotitlán has a population of about 9000, a large church, a municipal building that houses the governmental offices and the local jail, a primary and a secondary school, a library and museum, and three outdoor markets (one for groceries and two for textiles).  Teotitlán also has running water, electrical and some telephone service.  Santa Ana is about 5 kilometers to the east of Teotitlán, has a population of about 2,500, and has it's own museum, market, church, school, and municipal buildings.  San Miguel is the smallest of the three communities and has yet to build a museum or textile market.

In spite of what is often written, these communities really aren’t very remote and isolated places.  One can fly directly to Oaxaca City after a stop in Mexico City and then drive directly to any one of them from the airport in less than an hour.  It would also be unfair to characterize the Zapotec as having been living in isolation from the modern world carrying on their pre-Hispanic traditions in the face (or shadow) of modernity-- they are a modern (though culturally different) Native American people living in a modern (though rural) community.  In fact, many spend considerable time in the US working, stereotypically, as agricultural laborers, gardeners, or in restaurants like many migrants from Mexico.  For the Zapotec, weaving is an artistic endeavor but it is an artistic endeavor with economic consequences. For the people of Teotitlán, Santa Ana, and San Miguel weaving (like legal and illegal migration to work in the US) is a means of providing for their families in a very uncertain economic universe.  These are important points to consider if one wishes to develop an appreciation for and understanding of Zapotec textiles and the people who make them.